This invention relates generally to neck supports and more particularly to inflatable neck supports that are used with vehicle seats of automobiles and commercial airlines.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,017,221 granted to William M. Emery Jan. 16, 1962 discloses an inflatable pillow that extends the back of an automobile seat, particularly one that has a low back. The pillow is completely separate from the seat and held in place by tapering portions wedged between the back of the seat occupant and the back of the seat. It supports the seat occupant's head when it faces one way and the seat occupant's neck when it faces the opposite direction. A major drawback of the Emery pillow is that it cannot be used with automobile and airline seats that require a head restraint because of its shape. Another drawback is that the Emery pillow requires constant and conscientious effort by the seat occupant to hold the pillow in place and consequently the pillow is not really comfortable or well suited for relaxation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,104 granted to Rudolf Andres, Gerhard Busch and Werner Heiss Oct. 31, 1978 discloses an inflatable head rest for a rear seat of an automobile that is installed on the shelf behind the rear passenger seats. The head rest is automatically deflated and stored flat beneath a cover on the shelf when the rear seat is not occupied to minimize obstruction of the rear view. This device is very bulky and consequently it cannot be used with front automobile seats or airline seats. Another drawback is that it also cannot be used with automobile and airline seats that require head restraints.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,611 granted to Margie C. Talaugon Jun. 13, 1989 discloses a stuffed car seat pillow for use with a car seat for infants and other small children. The pillow is attached to shoulder straps of a harness assembly for the infant seat. The pillow has side cushions for supporting the sides of the child's head and a neck cushion for supporting the back of the child's neck that fits comfortably beneath the bulge at the rear of the head according to the Talaugon patent specification. The Talaugon pillow is simply not suitable for adult use or normal size automobile or airline seats.